Huntingdon's disease

allsortsofbags

Thanks NotSpaghetti it's a subject I feel strongly about.

allsortsofbags

sodapop

Thanks NotSpaghetti it's a subject I feel strongly about.

allsortsofbags

Yes. I feel strongly about it too… hence my earlier post.

I'm glad there wasn't all the knowledge and options available when I was young. I didn't have the enormous dilemma I'd have now regarding the to have children or not debate.

allsortsofbags
That is a really interesting point and a very courageous post.

How many of us know before we embark on parenthood whether we carry a genetic disorder that may impact on the health of any children?
Years ago there was no way of knowing but now, with the advances in genetic testing, we may be able to make a more informed decision.

Very complex situation . Think if it were me and I had given birth in that situation and my child developed Huntingtons I would find it so distressing having to explain to my son /daughter what condition they have. It must be hard enough if you have not taken that 50/ 50 chance!
Quite correct ,we must not judge , can only say that I would not have taken the risk. It would have been a very difficult decision as having children was always on my agenda.

Thank you for your moving contribution, Allsortsofbags.

It’s very true, knowledge also brings with it a lot of soul-searching. I have a friend who chose not to have testing after a breast lump removal. She felt she didn’t want to know for herself or to have to deal with that knowledge on her children’s behalf. As it happened, she died suddenly and too young of something very rare and completely unconnected. We just don’t know what the future holds, do we?

I read an article about testing for Huntingtons which said that women tended to be tested for it more than men. The theory was that women want to know what's going to happen so they can plan for their family's future while men just hope it won't happen.

My friend and her husband never had children because they didn't want to risk passing it on. Sadly this meant that she was on her own when he began to deteriorate. She took him out for as long as she could but even a quick coffee became an endurance test when he couldn't swallow. She was lucky that she could afford to pay for some help, but once he couldn't be left alone, a day out meant paying about £15 an hour for someone to sit with him - so a rare treat.

I had some rough times with DH's cancer but I always felt we were better off than her. I never lost the man I had married but she lost her's a long time before the end.

We don't know the situation, but possibly it was unplanned and she may not agree with abortion.

If there is a 50% chance of the child getting it, there is also a 50% chance of the child not getting it. Personally I wouldn't take that chance, but wish her a healthy child.

A very selfish decision. To have a child because YOU want one regardless of what it may go through hardly denotes a loving parent.

Knowledge can be a double-edged sword, can't it?

I sometimes wonder if MIL had known that her son would get MND and die in his mid 50s, would she have aborted him if it had been legal at the time?

If my sister's MIL had known that she'd pass on serious heart problems and diabetes to her son would she have gone ahead?

Serious illness can bring much heartache.